Rotary blower.



L. E. FAGALL. ROTARY BLOWER! APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12, 1908.

m Z 2 ,W W/ An 9 z 7 m A E w i m J n M2 w y W m F a; a X m M fi 2 0 1 mv I/ w: MW?! m H w a L. E. FAGAN. ROTARY BLOWER. APPLICATION rILEi) MAB.1 1908.

Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

2 sums-sum 2 W z'fnasses:

' LEWIS FAGAN, F MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

' ROTARY BLOWER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that .I, LEWIS E. FAGAN, a

' citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the countyof Henn epin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements iii/Rotary Blowers, of which the following is aspecification.

' My invention relates to rotary blowers,

and particularly to such as embody two or more intersecting cylindricalcasing members one of which contains a fixed core and a driving-shaftcarrying impellers which revolve in an annular space between the coreand casing, and the other of which contains a rotating cylindrical drumor idler provided with longitudinal recesses for receiving the revolvingimpeller blades during their return movements to the suction side of thecasing.

My improvement relates to the provision of means whereby at the propertimes the air under pressure carried in the idler recesses inapproaching the suction side of the blower is enabled to flow throughpassage-ways in the core of the first named casing member to the spacesbetween the impeller blades at the Working side, instead of beingcarried to the suction port, thereby effecting a saving of air underfpressure as well as preventing the noise 0 its escape at the suctionside.

My improvements are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFlgure 1 is a transverse section of the preferred construction-of myimproved rotary blower taken on the plane of the broken line w-w of Fig.2;Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the machine on the plane of thebroken line 'x:v of Fig. 1;Fig. 3 1s a like section on the plane of thebroken line z-z of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a transverse section, similar toFig. 1, of a modified construction in which is employed a single idlerinstead of a plurality of idlers; Fig. 5 is a top view of the coredetached; Fig. 6 shows an end view of the core and showing also the diskand impeller blades; Fig. 7 shows portions of the upper cylindricalsegments am the plates and flange for filling the grooves in the idlersand the space between them; and Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one ofthe idlers.

In Figs. 1 to 3 the casing is shown as consisting of three intersectingcylindrical segments designated, respectively, 1,2, and 3, which havetheir respective ends closed by heads 4 and 5, which are fixed in placeand, in part, constitute the supports for the ma- Specification ofLetters Patent.

Application filed March 12, 1908.

' Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

Serial No. 420,633.

chine. The heads 4 of the lower and larger casing member 1 haveoutwardly extending projections 6 that provide the journal-boxes or adriving-shaft 7; and these heads are also provided with inwardlyprojecting cylindrical cores 8 having axial openings which in rnishinterior bearings for the six aft. Between the inner ends of the coresis aspace sufficient to permit the free rotation of, a disk 9 formed ona hub 10 that is secured to the shaft 7 at the center of the casingmember 1. The impeller blades, of which there may be five as snown 1nFigs. 1 to 3, or any other suitable number, are designated 11, 12,13,14,

and 15, and are formed on or attached to the d1sk 9 and extend from itssides in directions parallel with the shaft 7; and the blades, be-

ing equally spaced, divide the annular space I 16 between the cores andeasing into a like number of equal spaces or pockets. The upper surfacesof the cores 8 are provided with grooves 17 and 18, curved incross-section and extending longitudinally of the cores at oppositesides of the vertical plane of their common axis. From the groove 17 ofeach core a slot or passage-way 19 extends through the core to its lowersurface at the same side of the vertical lane; and fromthe groove 18 ofeach core a 0t or passage-dry 20 extends through the core at that sideof the axis to the lower surface, and in communication with thepassage-Way 20 is a port or opening '21 to the annular spaceintermediate the grooves 17 and 18.

The heads 5 of the casing members 2 and 3 are provided withjournal-boxes 22 for the axles 23 and 24-of the idlers 25 and 26 thatare rotated by gearing (not shown) connecting the axles. with thedriving-shaft 7. The two idlers are of like form and size and comprisethree longitudinal hollow vanes or blades 27 the peripheries of whichconstitute arcs of a circle, and the recesses 28 of which are preferablynearly circular. These idlers may each be formed of two sections or beprovided with a circular groove 29 extending from the axle to theperiphery. They are geared to revolve in the same direction and, likethe impeller, may be rotated either toward the right or left. For thepurposes of illustration the impeller is assumed to revolve in thedirection indicated by the arrow a and the idlers in that indicated bythe arrow 6.

The drums arefplaccd to revolve respectively in the core grooves 17 and1S, and the outlet -tered with the passage-way disk 9 is free to rotatein the lower portions l of the circumferential grooves 29. The up erortions of the latter grooves are partia y (ilosed by plates 30 that aresecured to the casings, and a downwardly extending flange 31 at thepoint of juncture of the casings 2 and 3 fills in the space of thegrooves 29 intermediate that filled bythe plates 30. The plates 30 andflange 31 serve to steady and guide the idlers in their rotarymovements. p

The casing has the usual inlet or suction openin 32 at one side anddischarge opening 33 at t 1e opposite side, and Su located as to be incommunication successively with the spaces between airs of impellerblades and with the drum 0 iambers 28.

and 12-13, while an is flowing in through the inlet 32 to the spacebetween the blades 15 and 11, and air is being discharged from the spaceintervening the blades 13-14 against the pressure of' the air in the,outlet opening 33. Just before the parts have ro' tated to the positionsshown in Fig. 1 the chamber 28 of the idler 25 in which the blade 14appears, was in communication with the ort an? hence received a chargeof air un er pressure which the idler carried along until the opening tothe chamber 28 registered with the opening to the passageway 19 whichpermitted a portion oi the compressed air in the chamber 28 to flowthrou h the core 8 to the space between the impeller blades 12 and 13.The rotation to the position shown in Fig. 1 also carried along airunder pressure in the space be-.

tween the blades 14 and 15 which, when the blade 15 had passed the port21 leading to the passa e-way 20, was permitted to flow.

through t e core to the space between the blades 11 and 12. Just beforethe chamber 28 of the idler 26, in which appears the blade 15 in Fig. 1,reached the position shown, it was in communication with the spacbetween the blades 1.4 and 15 and received a charge of air underpressure which, during the time the opening to the chamber regiswas permitted to flow through the core to the space between the blades 12 and13. By this arrangement of devices nearly all of the air under pressurethat is not discharged at the outlet is preventeo from being carriedback to the suction side and is saved by being permitted to return tothe annular space 16 to be again carried by the impeller to thedischarge outlet.

In the construction illustrated by Fig. 4 only one idler is employed,and the other parts are varied only suflieiently to adapt them to suchmodification. The cores 8, instead of having each two longitudinalgrooves, have each only one groove, 3-1,

which is arranged centrally over the shaft 7 and each core has but oneair passage-u ay 35 through its body. The impeller in this instance isshown as having but three blades, designated '11, 1.2; and 13, tocorrespond with the, three-varied idler. The parts in this constructionthat are like those heretofore described are indicated by like referencenumerals. It is believed that the mode of operation \& ill be apparentin the light ol" the description hereinbefore g ven.

For supplying air at the hi her n'essures tne construction showing thearger number of impeller blades and a lurality of idlers is preferable;but for the owe-r pressures the modified construction, with fewerimpeller blades and a single idler, is a desirable form of machine.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is v i 1. In a rotary blower, a casing, stationary corestherein providing an intermediate. annular space and having lon itudinalgrooves in their surfaces, impeller blades arranged to revolve in suchannular space, and longitudinally recessed idler blades ar anged torevolve in said core grooves, the cores being n ovided with air ductsextending transversely through the core bodies and connect-- ing saidsurface grooves at the one side with the annular space at the oppositeside, substantially as set forth.

2. In a rotary blower, a casing, stationary cores therein providing anintermediate annular space and having longitudinal surface grooves andtransverse airducts connecting such grooves with the annular air spaceat the opposite side of the cores, impeller blades arranged t-o'revolveinsaid annular space, and longitudinally recessed idler blades arrangedto revolve in the core grooves, substantially as set forth.

3. In a rotary blower, a casing, stationary cores therein providing anintermediate annula space and having longitudinal surface grooves andtransverse air ducts connecting such grooves with the annular air spaceat the opposite side of the cores, a disk arran ed to rotate between thecore ends, impeler blades carried by the disk and operating in theannular space, and longitudinally recesse'd idler blades arranged torevolve in the core grooves, the said air ducts being arranged to permitthe passage of air under pressure from the core grooves to the spacebetween impeller blades at the opposite side, substantially as setforth.

4. A rotary blower, comprising a casing, stationary cores therein havinglongitudinal surface grooves and transverse air ducts connecting suchgrooves with the annular air space at the opposite side of the cores, adisk arran ed to rotate between the core ends, im e er blades carriedthereon, andlongitu ally recessed idler blades arranged to revolve inthe core grooves, for the purpose set forth.

5. A rotary blower, comprising a casing, stationary cores therein havinglongitudinal surface grooves and transverse air ducts connecting suchgrooves with the annular air,. space at the opposite slde of the cores,a disk arranlged to rotate between the core ends, impe er blades carriedby the disk and operating in the annular space, and a plurality ofidlers arranged to rotate in said grooves and having longitudinalrecesses, substanbetween the adjacent ends of the cores, im-

peller blades carried thereon, and suitably core grooves, substantiallyas set forth.

7. A rotary blower comprising a casing formed by intersectingcylindrical segments and heads, cores supported by the heads of one ofthe fiylinders and provided with longitudinal gr' oves along theirsurfaces and air ducts extending transversely through the core bodiesfrom said grooves and from an intermediate point to the opposite annularspace, rotating impeller blades, and idlers arranged to rotate in saidgrooves and having longitudinal recesses, substantially as set 'forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses this 10th day of March, 1908.

LEWIS E. FAGAN.

Witnesses:

P. H. GUNOKEL, H. A. BOWMAN.

chambered idlers arranged to rotate in said

